Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano is urging the passage of state legislation that would crack down on con artists and unscrupulous doctors caught cheating New York's "no fault" auto-insurance laws.

Nassau and Suffolk residents pay 130 percent more for auto coverage than drivers across the nation, largely due to no-fault insurance fraud, according to the Insurance Information Institute, an industry think tank. Those taking part in such frauds could face felony counts, rather than misdemeanors, and if a doctor is involved he or she could be decertified.

"It's absurd," Mangano said. "Criminals are driving up the cost of insurance. Now, we have a chance to bring some sanity to the system."

The scam works like this, authorities say: motorists stage auto accidents, complete with phony injuries, to collect on their insurance policies. The individuals, often with the assistance of compliant doctors and lawyers, then bill the insurance companies for their medical and hospital reimbursements, workers' comp and disability.

Those caught gaming the system now face misdemeanor charges. But the so-called Fraud Tax Bill, sponsored by state Sens. James Seward (R-Milford) and Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) would make cheating the no-fault laws a felony punishable by up to 7 years in prison. Assemb. Joseph Morelle (D-Irondequoit) has sponsored companion legislation in the Assembly.

The State Senate bill, which is making its way through the Senate Insurance Committee, would allow the state to decertify medical providers who commit insurance fraud; allow insurers longer than the existing 30 days to investigate suspicious claims and to send disputed no-fault claims to an arbitrator, rather than a judge.